1. Technical Field
This invention relates to paint sprayers and, more particularly, to a manual air-actuated spray paint apparatus for evenly disbursing paint in a controlled manner.
2. Prior Art
A fresh coat of paint can vastly improve or completely alter the appearance of most homes. Whether using a neutral white or eggshell color to cover scuff marks or a vibrant and bold color in order to change the entire design scheme of a room, homeowners and designers alike use paint as both a functional and decorative medium. Consisting of pigments and emulsions suspended in a liquid base, paint also consists of countless compounds which are uniquely formulated to meet the various requirements of literally hundreds of thousands of applications. Although the first paint was used in caves over 30,000 years ago, the modern paint industry became a key contributor to the U.S. economy during the mid 1800's. It was at this time that an Ohio man by the name of D. R. Averill patented the first “ready mixed” paint, and within twenty years of this patent, factories which specialized in paint production sprang up across the nation. Today, the paint industry is booming like never before. In fact, according to recent statistics compiled by the Paint and Coatings Industry Information Center, recent sales of interior and exterior house paint reached almost $17 billion, and that number is steadily on the rise. With reputable companies such as Glidden, Behr, Sears, and Olympic producing quality paint at affordable prices and top designers such as Ralph Lauren, Laura Ashley, Julien Alexander, and Martha Stewart all offering chic designer versions and unlimited color palettes, the popularity of decorating with paint should never diminish.
Often times following a painting task, consumers find it necessary to complete minor touch ups. Whether one has “missed a spot” when painting, or if the applied paint has become scratched, chipped, or otherwise marred, there are many occasions which require one to drag out the paint supplies in order to complete minor repairs. Unfortunately, assembling the needed painting supplies—merely in order to cover a few inches of space—can be time consuming at best. A daunting task, assembling a paint brush, roller and paint, all in order to apply paint to a small spot on the wall or ceiling can be a complete hassle. Obviously, it would be advantageous to provide a means for resolving these types of problems.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,624,060 to Ellion discloses a dispensing system in the form of a pressurized can or hand-pumped bottle, whereby a liquid is dispensed from a container and flows through a composite dip tube that feeds an inlet of a liquid transfer device. The dip tube includes a straight dip tube that extends from the inlet to the bottom of the container and a U-shaped tube that extends to the bottom of the container and then returns to the top of the interior of the container. The U-shaped tube acts as a siphon that, in combination with the conventional dip tube, provides liquid to the liquid transfer device when the container is upright, inverted, or oriented in any other position as long as one of the two open ends of the dip tube is in communication with the liquid. Unfortunately, this prior art example does not provide for a mechanical suction pump configured specifically for dispensing paint and allowing a user to quickly apply an even coat of paint over a variety of surfaces.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,223,380 to Klima discloses a dispensing apparatus that includes a spray bottle dispenser. The apparatus includes a bottle portion, a spray head portion, and a frame portion connecting the dispenser to a surface contacting portion. The surface contacting portion is configured such that when the dispensing apparatus is in an upright position, the surface contacting portion is located above and in front of a nozzle portion of the spray head portion. Unfortunately, this prior art example does not provide a mechanical suction pump preferably constructed of steel and designed for dispensing paint.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,983,864 to Cagle discloses a fluid dispenser with a replaceable receptacle to house fluid. An inlet tube and an outlet tube are connected to a pump assembly for drawing fluid from the receptacle and moving the fluid through a nozzle with fluid discharge aperture. The nozzle is secured to a hand actuatable cover which is depressible to operate the pump. The pump is mounted upon a retainer which is connectable to the housing. When the receptacle becomes empty, the retainer may be disengaged from the housing, and the retainer and pump are then lifted away as one unit from the housing. The empty receptacle may then be replaced with a full one, and in reverse order, the dispenser may be reassembled. Unfortunately, this prior art reference does not provide an actuator with adjustable flow settings to obtain appropriate levels of paint for a variety of applications.
Accordingly, a manual air-actuated spray paint apparatus is disclosed in order to overcome the above noted shortcomings. The present invention is convenient and easy to use, lightweight yet durable in design, and designed for providing consumers with a simple and convenient means for evenly disbursing paint in a controlled manner. The manual air-actuated spray paint apparatus is simple to use, inexpensive, and designed for many years of repeated use.